Image forming apparatus

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device including a pair of first rotating members; a first transport path having a curved portion where a recording medium is curved, the first transport path being for transporting the recording medium to which the image is fixed by the pair of first rotating members; a first transporting section including a pair of second rotating members provided downstream from the curved portion of the first transport path; and a controller that controls so that, while the recording medium is interposed between the pair of first rotating members and the pair of second rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the second rotating members and a peripheral velocity of the first rotating members are reduced at the same time, or the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is reduced before reducing the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a fixing device including a pair of first rotating members, the fixing device fixing an image to a recording medium by interposing the recording medium on which the image is formed between the pair of first rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of first rotating members being variable, and the pair of first rotating members comprising a fixing roller that fixes the image by heating; 
 a first transport path having a curved portion where the recording medium is curved, the first transport path being for transporting the recording medium to which the image is fixed by the pair of first rotating members; 
 a first transporting section including a pair of second rotating members provided downstream from the curved portion of the first transport path, the first transporting section transporting the recording medium downstream by interposing the recording medium between the pair of second rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of second rotating members being variable; and 
 a controller that controls so that, while the recording medium is interposed between the pair of first rotating members and interposed between the pair of second rotating members, the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members are reduced at the same time, or the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is reduced before reducing the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members. 
 
     
     
       2. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a second transport path whose curvature is less than curvature of the first transport path, 
 the second transport path being for transporting the recording medium to which the image is fixed by the pair of first rotating members; 
 a switching unit that switches a route for transportation of the recording medium between the first transport path and the second transport path; 
 a second transporting section including a pair of third rotating members provided at the second transport path, the second transporting section transporting the recording medium that is interposed between the pair of third rotating members to a downstream side of the second transport path by rotationally driving the pair of third rotating members so that a peripheral velocity of the pair of third rotating members is higher than the peripheral velocity of the pair of first rotating members; and 
 a limiting unit provided at the second transporting section, the limiting unit limiting transmission of driving force to the third rotating members when a load that is greater than or equal to a set value acts upon the third rotating members. 
 
     
     
       3. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the first transport path has a space at the curved portion, the space allowing flexing of the recording medium as a result of a difference between the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members. 
     
     
       4. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first transport path has a space at the curved portion, the space allowing flexing of the recording medium as a result of a difference between the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members. 
     
     
       5. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein an amount of time to reduce the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members is greater than an amount of time to reduce the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members. 
     
     
       6. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members is controlled by a first motor, the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is controlled by a second motor, and a type of the first motor is different from a type of the second motor. 
     
     
       7. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first motor is a direct current DC motor and the second motor is a stepping motor. 
     
     
       8. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is less than the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members before the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members are reduced. 
     
     
       9. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein an amount of time to reduce the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members varies. 
     
     
       10. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members so as to be reduced by a similar proportion while the relationship of each other is maintained. 
     
     
       11. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a second transport path whose curvature is less than curvature of the first transport path, the second transport path being for transporting the recording medium to which the image is fixed by the pair of first rotating members;
 a switching unit that switches a route for transportation of the recording medium between the first transport path and the second transport path; 
 a second transporting section including a pair of third rotating members provided at the second transport path, the second transporting section transporting the recording medium that is interposed between the pair of third rotating members to a downstream side of the second transport path by rotationally driving the pair of third rotating members so that a peripheral velocity of the pair of third rotating members is higher than the peripheral velocity of the pair of first rotating members; 
 and a limiting unit provided at the second transporting section, the limiting unit limiting transmission of driving force to the third rotating members when a load that is greater than or equal to a set value acts upon the third rotating members. 
 
     
     
       12. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the first transport path has a space at the curved portion, the space allowing flexing of the recording medium as a result of a difference between the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members. 
     
     
       13. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a fixing device including a pair of first rotating members to fix an image to a recording medium by interposing the recording medium on which the image is formed between the pair of first rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of first rotating members being variable, and the pair of first rotating members comprising a fixing roller that fixes the image by heating; 
 a first transporting section including a pair of second rotating members provided downstream from the fixing device, the first transporting section transporting the recording medium downstream by interposing the recording medium between the pair of second rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of second rotating members being variable; and 
 a controller that controls so that, while the recording medium is interposed between the pair of first rotating members and interposed between the pair of second rotating members, the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members are reduced at the same time, or the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is reduced before reducing the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members. 
 
     
     
       14. The image of forming apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein an amount of time to reduce the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members is greater than an amount of time to reduce the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members. 
     
     
       15. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a fixing device including a pair of first rotating members, the fixing device fixing an image to a recording medium by interposing the recording medium on which the image is formed between the pair of first rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of first rotating members being variable, and the pair of first rotating members comprising a fixing roller that fixes the image by heating; 
 a first transport path having a curved portion where the recording medium is curved, the first transport path being for transporting the recording medium to which the image is fixed by the pair of first rotating members; 
 a first transporting section including a pair of second rotating members provided downstream from the curved portion of the first transport path, the first transporting section transporting the recording medium downstream by interposing the recording medium between the pair of second rotating members, a peripheral velocity of the pair of second rotating members being variable; 
 and a controller that controls so that, while the recording medium is interposed between the pair of first rotating members and interposed between the pair of second rotating members, the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members is reduced before reducing the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members. 
 
     
     
       16. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the first transport path has a space at the curved portion, the space allowing flexing of the recording medium as a result of a difference between the peripheral velocity of the first rotating members and the peripheral velocity of the second rotating members.